Rules by Cynthia Lord

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lord, Cynthia. Rules. New York: Scholastic Press, 2006. ISBN 9780385746779

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Twelve year old Catherine deals with the everyday frustrations of her autistic brother. She makes rules for him to follow to keep herself from being embarrassed and to set boundaries for him. Catherine befriends a paraplegic adolescent boy, for whose communication board, she creates words for and whose friendship causes her another emotional struggle when he asks her to a dance.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Told in a first person narrative, Newbery Award winning, Rules helps you understand what it is like to live with a sibling with autism. The three R’s: Repetition, Routine, and Redundancy, are cleverly written into the text so that you are unaware that these are the mainstay tools needed for autistic people to survive. Having a child with autism allows Cynthia Lord to write with special insight. The dialogue between the siblings and friends draws you into the emotional rollercoaster that Catherine is going through. You ponder what your own feelings would be if you were the one going through the same situations.
This book deals with the subjects of acceptance of others and friendships, from a humorous, adolescent perspective.

Interest level grades 6-8

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Deborah Stevenson, Associate Editor (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, May 2006 (Vol. 59, No. 9)) Readers will sympathize with Catherine’s struggle to explain the world to David through his beloved rules and her frustration at his demanding, embarrassing behaviors and his garnering the majority of parental attention. This is an absorbing tale about valuing people even when it’s difficult, and it may encourage readers to consider the benefits and challenges of their own families and friends.
CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices, 2007) As Catherine struggles to find her way into these new relationships, her feelings for her brother float realistically between frustration, embarrassment, love, protectiveness, and everyday sibling ups-and-downs.
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
John Newbery Medal, 2007 Honor Book United States
Mitten Award, 2006 Winner United States
Schneider Family Book Award, 2007 Winner Ages 11 to 13 United States
Skipping Stones Honor Awards, 2007 Winner Multicultural and International Awareness Books United States

5. CONNECTIONS
• Have students decide on one pet peeve they want to eliminate and write a rule for it.
• Create words for a person to use with a communication board, like Catherine made for Jason.
• Role play the siblings relationships and come up with ways to circumvent the situations that can be real catastrophic in a family.
• Read other fictional books about autism
Anything but typical written by Nora Raleigh Baskin 2009. ISBN 9781416963783
Playing by the rules: a story about autism written by Dena Fox Luchsinger 2007. ISBN 9781890627836
Looking after Louis written by Lesley Ely 2004. ISBN 9780807547465
Marcelo in the real world written by Francisco X. Stork 2009. ISBN 9780545054744. ages 14+

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Rosoff, Meg. How I live now. New York: Wendy Lamb Books, 2004. ISBN 978055337605
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Fifteen-year-old Daisy leaves New York City to live with her deceased mother’s sister and cousins in the countryside of England. Daisy’s new laid back country life takes her on a new big sister protective role when war breaks out and the family is separated. Taken far from her new home, Daisy leads her nine-year-old cousin on an adventure to make it back to their country home through a war torn country.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The Michael L. Printz 2005 Award winning book, How I Live Now, deals with many realistic themes of life within a country at war. Told through a first person narrative Daisy shares many heart wrenching emotions dealing with incestuous romance, anorexia, adolescence, love, courage and violence. Meg Rosoff writes with such intensity that you get caught up in the struggles of the characters, wanting to find quick solutions to their problems. The mood of the characters often switches from serious to humorous and the events range from playful and mysterious to dangerous and exciting with a lot of action packed in. Use of capital letters, hyperboles, and metaphors gives Daisy a sarcastic and compelling voice. Rosoff packs a lot of highly disturbing events dealing with relationships and war into a fast thought provoking novel that keeps you captivated until the end. Ages 15-18

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2004 (Vol. 72, No. 14)) This is a very relatable contemporary story, told in honest, raw first-person and filled with humor, love, pathos, and carnage. War, as it will, changes these young people irrevocably, not necessarily for the worse. They and readers know that no one will ever be the same.

Timnah Card (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September 2004 (Vol. 58, No. 1)) Throughout, the paradisiacal setting of the English countryside and the wretched, sometimes horrifyingly violent lives of the embattled people who live there are presented with such luxurious, terrible realism that readers will remain absorbed to the very end by this unforgettable and original story.

Awards, Honors, Prizes, Best Books:
Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, 2004 Winner United Kingdom
Michael L. Printz Award, 2005 Winner United States
Horn Book Fanfare, 2004 ; Horn Book; United States
Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books , 2004 ; Cahners; United States

5. CONNECTIONS
• Class discussions about teens and their roles during war can be explored.
• Other topics to explore and discuss – sibling separation, anorexia, teen sex, eating disorders, loss of a parent, survival techniques

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Greg Heffley's Journal by Jeff Kinney

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kinney, Jeff. Diary of a wimpy kid: Greg Heffley's journal. New York: Amulet Books, 2007. ISBN 9780810994553

2. PLOT SUMMARY
A novel in cartoons, character Greg Heffley chronicles his sixth grade year with his best friend Rowley. Greg is the ring leader getting him and Rowley into all kinds of trouble. Funny and easy to read, you end up rooting for Greg to make better decisions.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Simple line drawings filled with emotion and very easy to follow humor, Diary of a Wimpy Kid keeps you laughing at the silly situations middle school kids get into. Jeff Kinney captures the essence of adolescent boys without being judged by adults. Text flows easily from situation to situation leading you on adventures of everyday life of two friends who are nerdy, wimpy kids trying to be cool middle school boys. Kinney brings new life into brainless antics that boys seem to get into and makes you want to keep reading the hilarious episodes.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Todd Morning (Booklist, Apr. 1, 2007 (Vol. 103, No. 15)) Greg tells his story in a series of short, episodic chapters. Most revolve around the adolescent male curse: the need to do incredibly dumb things because they seem to be a good idea at the time.
CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices 2008) Often lighthearted and silly, Greg’s journal also manages to tap into common issues of early adolescence—controlling parents, school bullies, evolving friendships—that will resonate with his real-life peers.

5. CONNECTIONS
• Create your own cartoon chronicling a year in your life.
• Create a new look for Greg as he matures into a young adult. Then create new situational cartoons as he gets older.
• Add a new female character to Greg and Rowley’s friendship. Describe how she fits in and what situations they get into.
• Create a cartoon about the antics you and your best friend get into.

The Game of Silence by Louise Erdrich

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Erdrich, L. (2005). The game of Silence. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 9780786232123

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In 1850 on Madeline Island on Lake Superior lived a young Native American Omakayas or Little Frog because her first step was a hop. She belonged to the Ojibwe tribe who were going to be forced off their native lands by the United States government so white settlers could live there. Omakayas shares her feelings for her mother, brother, relatives and friends showing respect and loyalty to the ways of her tribe. The Game of Silence is the title of the book but it is really the way the tribe allows the younger children to be part of the elders’ group when they are discussing serious issues that the tribe faces. It also teaches them to be silent when they must travel through dangerous settings. Omakayas and other young children have chores they must do according to their gender. Omakayas is also considered a healer in training. She learns from her elders which plants are used to cure common ailments. Girls are supposed to help with the meals, tanning of hides, making clothes, and keeping the hut and communal clean. Boys are encouraged to perfect their hunting and warrior skills and make weapons. When a couple of men from the scouting group return with word that the tribe has to leave their tribal grounds, Omakayas helps ready for their new life. The book is rich in history and is a compelling read.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This historical fiction book continues the story of Omakayas that begun in The Birchbark House which was nominated for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. The Game of Silence received the most prestigious award the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction 2006 and many other awards and recognition. A glossary of native words, pronunciation and their meanings were given at the end of the book. Maps and sketches are interspersed throughout the book giving the reader a glimpse of what the people and places looked like. The interest level and reading level are recommended for grades 6-8 however, orally reading this book to younger students will give them a rich background of one Native American tribe’s life.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2005 (Vol. 73, No. 9)) Eager readers beguiled by her sturdy and engaging person will scarcely notice that they have absorbed great draughts of Ojibwe culture, habits and language. It's hard not to weep when white settlers drive the Ojibwe west, and hard not to hope for what comes next for this radiant nine-year-old.

Joe Sutliff Sanders (VOYA, August 2005 (Vol. 28, No. 3)) The themes are not only more profound, but the episodic structure of the previous novel is also much exceeded by the interweaving plot threads of young love, sibling rivalry, and frustration with gender roles. The threat that the federal government poses to the community is more than just a framing device; it penetrates all the other concerns of the novel, drawing them tightly together.
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Great Lakes Great Books Award, 2006 Finalist United States
Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, 2006 Winner United

5. CONNECTIONS
• Role playing the different characters and retelling the story will give students insight into the community of Native Americans.
• Have students create a list and reasons for taking specific items in a single canoe that would help them live and sustain a life living in the wilderness. Compare it to homeless people living on the streets. What items would a homeless person need to survive on the streets?
• Use the glossary at the back of the book to create meaningful sentences for conversing with people from the Ojibwe tribe.
• Research tobacco and find out where it grew in the US and what significance it has throughout the novel. How did the Native Americans get it and why did they use it for giving thanks?
• While reading the novel make a list of foods the Ojibwe tribe ate. Then have a feast using only those foods.
•

Catherine called Birdy by Karen Cushman

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cushman, K. (1994). Catherine called Birdy. New York: Clarion. ISBN 9780786232123
2. PLOT SUMMARY
In 1290 medieval England, you get drawn into the drama that surrounds 13-year old Catherine’s plight not to be married off like a piece of property. Written in the style of a diary, Catherine carefully plots everyday how she can avoid marriage. Many of her suitors leave her father’s home in a state of shock by the antics she plays on them. She starts each entry with a description of a saint and why that person became a saint and her life resembles part of the past. Catherine does everything possible to get away from the “womanly” duties like sewing and hemming imposed on wealthy girls during that period in England. The reader comes away with a sense of the time in England and many good laughs. Catherine’s father does everything possible to get his daughter to understand why she must marry a wealthy older man who Catherine calls Shaggy Beard. She dreads the day she is to be married and actually runs away when his escorts come calling. Needless to say she does marry later on but not Shaggy Beard. Find out who she marries by reading this humorous award winning novel.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Karen Cushman writes a wonderful witty historical fiction novel that depicts the life a young daughter trying to be married off by her English knight of a father. The novel has many authentic historical facts blended in with the text to help the reader become familiar with things that happened in the past. Catherine longs for adventure and to be anything but a wife. Tween and teenage readers can easily identify with the restrictions placed on Catherine by her parents for her misbehavior. The emotional journey Catherine travels is often funny and you can actually see her overdramatic tantrums being played out with similar situations with todays young. The author’s notes at the end give examples of actual occurrences that occurred during this period. While reading this novel you find many facts of history that are not mentioned in most books. The floors of the dining halls lined with reeds, the body lice and fleas that attack people and crowded unsanitary conditions are just a few of the details that are interwoven in the book. Cushman does a great job researching historical facts for her novels and weaving them in a fictional story. She makes history come alive for all who read her novels.
Interest level 6-8
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Jacqueline C. Rose (KLIATT Review, September 1995 (Vol. 29, No. 5))
Readers will learn much about the historical time period. Realistic, interesting, and sometimes utterly disgusting details of dress, eating habits, sanitation (or lack thereof), social justice, religious beliefs, celebrations, treatment of disease, etc., are plentiful throughout.
Susie Wilde (Children's Literature)
Cushman brings the Middle Ages alive with a revealing, humorous and riveting story of a young girl who devises clever schemes to escape marrying all the repulsive men her father would give her to.
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
John Newbery Medal, 1995 Honor Book United States
Reading Magic Awards, 1994 Winner United States
Golden Kite Award, 1995 Award Book Fiction United States
Lone Star Reading List, 1996-1997 ; Texas
ALA Best Book for YAs

5. CONNECTIONS
• Have students write a letter from the perspective of an English Knight to a possible suitor to marry his daughter (what traits could he list? What traits would Catherine’s father be able to list)
• Create a recipe or potion to discourage a suitor. What ingredients are needed and what would it do?
• Create a list of talents that a wealthy daughter needs to posses in order to be married back in the medieval England. Compare the list to now.
• Create a list of the skills a man would need to posses in order to win the heart of a lady or gain the father’s wealth.
• What medical advances do we have now that weren’t available back then?
• After reading the story adlib and role play each of the character retelling their side of the story.
• Read other books by Karen Cushman and compare and contrast them to Catherine Called Birdy –
Matilda Bone (2001) ISBN 9780786232123
Alchemy and Meggy Swann (2010) ISBN 9780547231846
Rodzina (2003) ISBN 9780807215760
The Ballad Of Lucy Whipple (1996) ISBN 9780395728062
The midwife's apprentice (1991) ISBN 9780395692295
The loud silence of Francine Green (2006) ISBN 9780618504558.

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry Narrated by Blair Brown

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Lowry, L. (Author). Brown, B. (Narrator). (2004). Number the Stars [Three CDs]. Listening Library, Unabridged CD - Library Edition. ISBN 9781400085552

2. PLOT SUMMARY
A Danish family risks their lives to save a Jewish family during the Holocaust. Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her family help her best friend Ellen Rosen and family escape from German occupied Denmark. They take the families to her Uncle Henrik’s house north of Copenhagen in the North Sea. After a daring night escape from the Nazis, Henrik takes the Rosen family and others on a boat ride to freedom in Sweden.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Newbery Award winning Number the Stars is a historical fiction book based on many real events during the Holocaust. Lois Lowry blends in history in such a moving way that you often think the characters are real. In her author’s notes she describes how she walked the streets in Copenhagen and imagined how a ten year old would view events of World War II. She researched how Danish King Christian X helped the people of his German occupied country resist the Nazis. Lowry mentions how the Swedish scientists worked on fooling the German police dogs from sniffing out Jewish people by creating a powerful powder composed of dried rabbit’s blood and cocaine. The blood attracted the dogs and when they sniffed it the cocaine numbed their noses and destroyed, temporarily, their sense of smell. With well placed history packed scenarios throughout the book you get a feel for how the Danish Resistance helped save Jewish people. The details Lowry describes have you focused on the attitudes, values, and morals of the Danish people. Blair Brown brilliantly narrates this story often changing her voice to depict the little girls, grown women, men and the German Nazis. Hearing the intonation of her voice compels the listener to feel the suspense of the danger and excitement of the powerful story unfolding. This unabridged audio book is giftedly orchestrated.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Nola Theiss (KLIATT Review, May 2004 (Vol. 38, No. 3)) This Newbery Award-winning children's book can be listened to by the whole family. While the main characters are only ten years old, their story is a universal one of man's inhumanity to man and also of the goodness and courage of others, willing to risk their own safety for their fellow human beings.
Jeni Menenedez (Audiofile, April/May 2004) With vocal versatility, Blair Brown portrays the soft-spoken Johannesens, as well as the loud, brutal Nazis. When important conversations take place, she lowers her voice to cue listeners to pay closer attention. The combination of Brown's steady voice and Lowry's dramatic story creates a mesmerizing production.
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Charlotte Award, 1992 Winner Grades 3-5 United States
Jane Addams Children's Book Award, 1990 Honor Book United States
John Newbery Medal, 1990 Winner United States
National Jewish Book Awards, 1990 Winner United States
Sydney Taylor Book Awards, 1989 Winner Older Readers United States


5. CONNECTIONS
• Recommended for grades 4-8
• Another book that students can read that depicts the struggles a family faces during the Holocaust is The Diary of Anne Frank
• For younger students: A picture book of Anne Frank by David A. Adler
• Students can visit this website and put names, photographs and biographies of children who survived the Holocaust http://graceproducts.com/fmnc/main.htm
• Students can act out the daring escape by night moving around silently
• Guest speakers can be invited to discuss the Holocaust
• Other subjects can be researched about Denmark during World War II 1939-1945

Quest for the Tree Kangaroo An Expedition To the Cloud Forest of New Guinea by Sy Montgomery Photographs by Nic Bishop

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Montgomery, S. (2006). Quest for the tree kangaroo: an expedition to the cloud forest of New Guinea. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Photographs by Nic Bishop ISBN 9780618496419


2. PLOT SUMMARY
Author Sy Montgomery goes on an expedition to the cloud forest of Papua New Guinea with scientific research team leader Lisa Dabek photographer Nic Bishop and many other well known scientists. This book discusses the grueling and adventurous trip to find the mysterious Matschie (“MATCH-eez”) tree kangaroo. Well documented are the trials and tribulations associated with the capture, testing, tracking and releasing of the tree kangaroo. Flora and fauna are beautifully photographed as well as unusual and often unidentified species. Background information is intertwined in the telling of the story so you get an inner feeling for the people of the land. This is a must read for people curious about wildlife and glimpses of undiscovered territory.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Sy Montgomery uses her background knowledge as a naturalist, documentary scriptwriter, and radio commentator, to explain an accurate story of the expedition to find the elusive tree kangaroo. She follows scientists from around the world to document their journey up into the cloud forest. Montgomery tells the story with vivid details about the scenery and life of natives of Papau.

The saying “pictures tell a thousand words” is so true in this book. Nic Bishops’ ability to capture the eye of even the minutest subjects conveys more meaning than words can say. His photos are truly amazing and offer such insight into the physical surroundings that you are able to identify with the emotions of the people trudging through the clouds and see the animals as they are viewing them for the first time.
This photo essay has text interspersed with a design pleasing to the eye, inviting and easy to read. The level and complexity of the text is at a higher level and could easily be considered to be appropriate for a younger reader due to the size and amount of text. Some pages appear to be written on vellum so you can view the background of the cloud forest. Bishop’s creative style of framed photographs pops out at you and invites you to turn the pages. Montgomery adds a page of advice from Lisa Dabek to encourage students to get involved in rainforest and animal conservation efforts. She also includes pages about zoos where you can view tree kangaroos and websites to visit. An acknowledgment page to the native people that helped make their expedition a success and simple verses spoken are included. This is a highly recommended book that can be used as a springboard into all curriculum areas.


4. REVIEW EXCERPTS and Awards
Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature) Informative and interesting, and kids who love animals or are thinking about becoming veterinarians will keep this book moving off the library shelves.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 2006 (Vol. 74, No. 19)) …Bishop's photographs, shots of the expedition members, striking close-ups of flora and fauna including the sought-for kangaroo and lush, green cloud forest scenes, are beautifully reproduced.

Eileen Wright (Library Media Connection, April 2007) The reader becomes quickly drawn into the quest, and one feels as though the narrator is sitting beside her sharing the details of the expedition.

AWARDS: Green Earth Book Award, 2007 Honor Book United States
Henry Bergh Children's Book Award, 2006 Winner Non-Fiction Environment and Ecology United States
John Burroughs List of Nature Books for Young Readers, 2006 Winner United States
Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children, 2007 Winner United States
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal, 2007 Honor Book United States


5. CONNECTIONS
• Do an author study on Sy Montgomery and read other books written by her.
• Use other books written by or photos included by Nic Bishop and compare his style of photography and text in each of his books.
• Students can compare and contrast tree kangaroos and other marsupials.
• Art: create an actual rainforest out of paper. Leaves can be studied and made to look like the canopy. Flowers and animals can be drawn and then cut out to tape onto the different layers of the rainforest.
• Science: The layers of the rainforest can be studied. Sizes and weights of the kangaroos can be converted from metric to standard units of measurements.
• Music: Students can study the different sounds of the rainforest like birds, rain, insects, and animals. They can make rain sticks with toilet paper tubes, toothpicks and rice or beans.
• P.E.: Students can crawl like a bear, slither like a snake, hop like a kangaroo and investigate movements of different animals.
• Social Studies: Study the people and history of Papua New Guinea. Compare and contrast their customs and living conditions to ours in the U.S.
• I Wonder Why I Wonder Why Kangaroos Have Pouches by Jenny Wood ISBN: 978-0-7534-6559-2
• Kangaroos by Melissa Gish ISBN: 978-1-58341-970-0
• Pocket babies and other amazing marsupials by Sneed B. Collard III ISBN: 978-1-58196-046-4
• Marsupials by Nic Bishop ISBN: 978-0-439-87758-9